The Reward for Defending your Brother’s Honor
The Reward for Defending your Brother’s Honor
عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بِنْتِ يَزِيدَ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : مَنْ ذَبَّ عَنْ لَحْمِ أَخِيهِ بِالْغِيبَةِ ، كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللهِ أَنْ يُعْتِقَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ.
Asma bint Yazid (Radi Allahu anha) narrated the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa salam) said:
“Whoever defends his brother’s flesh against being backbitten, then it is his right from Allah to free him from the Fire.”
Collected by Ahmed (6/461) , At-Tabarani (24/ 176) Al-Albani graded this hadith as being ranked Sahih.
” Whoever defends his brother’s flesh against being backbitten…” This refers to a person who disproves of the one eating his brother’s flesh, regardless if he’s saying the truth or lying in his absence. In general, it’s obligatory to reject backbiting.
“… then it is his right from Allah to free him from the Fire.” A person earns this because he is protecting his brother’s honor from being degraded. It is a must for the individual who hears bad-mouthing speech to protect his brother’s honor. He must do this with his tongue, and if he is unable, then he must do it with his heart, by leaving the location the unkind remarks are being said. That location is considered a place of evil.
Al-Ghazali said, “It isn’t enough to point to the person ordering him to be quiet using any kind of body language. Rather, it is a must for him to clearly defend his brother’s flesh as the hadith mentions. “
As-San’anee said, “This is the most difficult kind of task on the slave. Very few people fulfill this duty, and no one is safe except the person who avoids people and their gatherings. (Tanweer Sharhul Jam’I As-Saghir by Muhammad ibn Ismail As-San’anee (1182H) printed by Darus Salam 1st edition 1433)
Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle
Doha, Qatar 1435/ 4/1 ©
